Vehicle tow bar



Oct. 21, 1930. L. P. SIGNER I 1,779,192

VEHICLE TOW BAR Filed March 16, 1929 l fivve/vrale Lows lGNER Patented Oct. 21, 19530 a I i i I UNITED STATES i-PATENTOFFICE LOUIS P. sienna, or SAN FRANcrsco, catrrormm VEHICLE TOW BAR. 7

Application filed March 16, 1 929. Seria1N o. 347,725.

This invention relates particularly to a a dolly. Either of these methods are: obbar or clamp to be demountably secured to jectionablein that the towing power is usualthe front end of a vehicle to facilitate the ly notapplied to the towed vehicle at the towing by a suitable towing medium. I properpoint, when a towing rope is attached An ob]ect of the invention is to provide a thereto, or, if the vehicle to be towed is: 65'

v tow bar, to be detachably secured across the "placed on a dollyf it usually happens that front end of an automotive vehicle, so consomeportion of the vehicle body 'orchassis structed that said bar will not injure or is damaged, :due to the inability to get the damage the. vehicle in mounting the bar dolly between the automobile and" the thereon for towing purposes; and a bar ground. :My invention relates to a tow barpoo that will do away with the necessity of sewhich can be quickly and/easily connected curing the towing structure to the axle or across the projecting goose necks of'the veframe of the vehicle or the-necessity of elehicle and'readily secured thereto in a prac: vating one end of the vehicle onto a roller tically immovable position, to facilitate an dolly on which the said vehicle may be 'leflicient towing operation and to do away'i0 towed.

A further object of the invention is to tion of the towed vehicle. provide a tow bar for automotive vehicles In detail, the invention illustrated in'the' that is adjustable in its length to fit all sizes drawings, comprises atow bar, formed of 9 of automotive Vehicles and which is pro complementarybars 1 and 2, each of which 7 vided with means to permit of ready adjustare provided with an offset clamp socket or meat in making ready to tow.- Other objects hook 3 on the outer ends thereof, and the and advantages will appear as this descrip- "opposite ends of said bars are placed one on tion progresses. top'of the other and passed through an openwith the possibility of damage to anypor- V In this specification and the annexed draw- 'ing within 'a clamp housing 4. The clamp] ings, the invention is illustrated in the form housing 51 has the overlapping ends of the considered to be the best, but it is to be unbars arranged therein to lie approximately derstood that the invention is not limited midway between the hook shaped ends 3 of to such form, because it may be embodied in the bars. Each of the over-lapping ends of other forms, and it is also to be understood the bars 1 and 2. are provided with aslot 5v that in and by the claimsfollowing the de- .therethrough, andsaid slots 5 are in registry scripti'on, it is desired to cover the invention to permit the passing of a bolt 6 therethrough. in whatsoever form it may beembodied. The bolt 6 is provided with a hexagon head In' the accompanying one sheet of draw' 7 thereon that lies in a hexagonally shaped E5 ings, socket, cut through the bottom of the clamp Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the housing 4 so that the bolt head will pass into front end of an automotive vehicle, showdirect contact with the bottom of one of in the projecting frame ends having a tow the complementary bars 1 or 2. The end of bar constructed in accordance with my inventhebolt Gisthreaded to receivea' wing nut tion mounted thereon. or handle 8, which, when turned, draws the Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the tow bar. head of the bolt into. contact with one or Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tow bar shown the other of the over-lapping bars 1 and in Fig. 2. 2 and binds said'bars 111 the opening within Fig. 4 is an enlarged view taken through the clamp framed. By unloosening the han- 4.3 Fig. 3 on the line 4--4. dle 8, the clamping pressure on the comple- Disabled automobiles are at the present mentary .bars 1 and 2 is released so that. time made ready to be towed, by passing a the said bars can be manually ad uste d tow rope around the frame or axle of the inwardly "or outwardly to increase or d1- said vehicle or by placing an end of the said minish the distance between the opposite w vehicle on an auxiliary wheeled vehicle called hooks 3. The front end of the clamp 1G3 frame 4 is provided with a yoke 9 thereon, within which an eyelet 10 is pivotally held by the pivot pin 11. The eyelet 10 is provided. with a fork 12 on the outer end thereof within which a towing socket 13 is pivotally held by the pivot pin 14:. The form of connection of the towing socket 13 to the clamp frame 4; permits of universal movement between the towing and towed parts in order to take care of any and all bumpy and inaccurate road conditions that might arise.

In order to apply the tow bar, constructed in accordance with my invention, to the projecting ends of the springs or frame of the vehicle, the operator turns the handle 8 until the bars 1 and 2 can be moved in or out to enable the hooks 3 on the ends of said bars to be passed over and around the springs or vehicle frame ends. The hooks 3 are ar ranged to hook over the front portion of the springs that are bolted to the projecting frame ends, although it could be clearly within the scope of the invention to clamp the hooks 3 onto the frame ends directly, so that when the bar is drawn the hooks will wedge themselves between the frame ends and spring ends adjacent the point where said members are bolted together. The bars 1 and 2 would then be advanced relatively toward each other, so as to eliminate all lateral play between the bar hooks 3 and the vehicle frame ends, when the bolt 6 would be tightened to clamp the bars 1 and 2 together. The clamp frame 4 that secures the matching faces of the bars 1 and 2 together is arranged centrally between the ends thereof so that the towing force is applied to the towed vehicle at a point where it will act thereon with the greatest efiiciency.

Having thus described this invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.. A vehicle tow bar comprised of complementary members arranged in longitudinally adjustable engagement and each having an encircling hook on the outer end there of detachably engageable with the opposite frame ends of a vehicle; a clamp to regulate the longitudinally adjustable engagement of the complementary members; and a towing means pivotally connected to said clamp.

2. A vehicle tow bar comprised of a pair of complementary bars, each having a hook on an end thereof to engage the opposite frame ends of a vehicle and each having the opposite ends thereof provided with slots therein and the said slotted ends arranged in matched engagement; a frame enclosing the matched, slotted ends of said bars; a bolt journaled in said frame and extended through the slotted ends of the bars; a handle on the bolt to bind the matched bar ends into frictional en agement with the frame; and a towing means universally connected to the said frame.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 5th day of March, 1929.

LOUIS P. SIGNER. 

